NFL coaching changes not always the answer

Here we go again, about to embark on that annual exercise in which NFL team owners perform the equivalent of re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic when what they really ought to do is look in the mirror.

Or how about Oakland blaming interim coach Tony Sparano after already firing Dennis Allen' The Raiders have not had a winning record since 2002, while going through eight coaches'

Or should the reborn Cleveland Browns, who are on their eighth coach since coming back into the NFL in 1999, blame first-year coach Mike Pettine'

Listen up, owners. Do you want to win'

You ought to follow the template of the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have had three coaches since 1969. All three brought Lombardi trophies to the Steel City.

Unfortunately for coaches, there is only one Rooney family in the NFL. With that in mind, here are the half-dozen hottest coaching seats as we approach the end of the season:

1. Chicago. The Bears are arguably further away from the rest of their division than any other team in the league. Green Bay is solid as long as Aaron Rodgers plays. Detroit finally seems to have a level-headed coach to handle its talented roster. And Minnesota is clearly on the upswing under Mike Zimmer.

The Bears, however, are choked by Jay Cutler's contract and internal turmoil. They are not known as a team eager to eat a coach's contract, but Marc Trestman's strength is offense, and the Bears are more than 40 yards a game behind last year -- and, unless they win their final two games, headed for their worst record in a decade.

2. San Francisco. Jim Harbaugh is history; the only question is how the end will be orchestrated. Harbaugh is a tough employe, but a terrific coach, and he is not the biggest problem, despite a mistake at quarterback -- Alex Smith, a low-risk, smart guy who rarely makes the dumb play, was the perfect quarterback for the team Harbaugh was building around a great defense, but Harbaugh chose to dump Smith after rebuilding him.

The bigger problem with the 49ers is management. There's no one who can tell CEO Jed York he made a mistake by getting into a hissing match with his coach. York's uncle, Eddie DeBartolo, always had Carmen Policy to whisper in his ear and tone down DeBartolo's worst instincts. York has no one like that.

3. Miami. We know owner Stephen Ross wanted Harbaugh the last time around. We know Joe Philbin is about to finish his third straight season without a playoff appearance. Philbin appeared to have found a keeper at quarterback in Ryan Tannehill but in the last three games, the Dolphins have just one touchdown drive longer than 39 yards. Is Ross about to go back to square one' Yeah, he might.

4. Washington. Jay Gruden is apparently not as fond of his quarterback, Robert Griffin III, as Dan Snyder, the owner. This is Gruden's first year on the job. Snyder's history includes a couple of multi Super Bowl winners (Joe Gibbs, Mike Shanahan) and one of only six coaches to win 200 games (Marty Schottenheimer). What's the constant here' The owner.

5. N.Y. Jets. This is Rex Ryan's sixth season as the Jets' coach. It's also his worst year. He works under a general manager who did not hire him and who has his own job security issues. The issue for the Jets is do they start over with a new GM/coach tandem or do they allow Idzik, who has not distinguished himself, to salvage his job by firing Ryan.

6. Oakland. No one will get rich betting on what this franchise will do. GM Reggie McKenzie took over a team in salary cap hell, seems to have fixed that, and acquired some decent young talent including QB Derek Carr. It's not clear that Tony Sparano is the coach to turn this situation around, but this is still the least desirable coaching job in the league. What's the Oakland constant' One Davis after another.

Two other teams worth keeping an eye on: Atlanta and the New York Giants. Falcons owner Arthur Blank does not have a quick-trigger history but the Falcons regression -- 9-22 starting with the NFC championship game following the 2012 season -- does not bode well for coach Mike Smith, especially with a new stadium on the horizon. And, while Tom Coughlin's two Super Bowl victories earn him a lot of love from the Maras, this is three straight years out of the playoffs.

Ira Miller is an award-winning sportswriter who has covered the National Football League for more than three decades and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee. He is a national columnist for The Sports Xchange.